E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1.

(2017): 28-38

1
Challenges in Developing Ecotourism in The Region of Lake Sentani Papua

Yannice Luma Marnala Sitorus¹, A. Rosyidie², Suhirman 3

¹ Urban and Regional Planning Study Programme (PWK)

Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ), Jayapura, Indonesia
2,3
School of Architecture, Planning and Policy Development (SAPPK)
Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia

Corresponding author: nala_ustj2006@yahoo.co.id

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Received The concept of community-based ecotourism is one of the sustainable

28 November 2016 development concepts suitable to be applied to traditional regions with nature
Accepted tourism potential. Differences in culture between traditional communities and
15 March 2017 the outside world are not an obstacle in developing the region because with
Available online their local wisdom traditional communities can participate in protecting and
31 March 2017 managing their natural surrounding and at the same time become an
attraction for other communities. However, outside societies can influence
the culture of the traditional communities that originally tends to be oriented
on biocentrism to shift towards anthropocentrism. This can eventually
hamper the continuity of ecotourism development. This can be seen from the
traditional communities at Lake Sentani, the case study of the author. The
study is based on literature and secondary data and used descriptive analysis.
The traditional communities of Sentani do not yet fully participate in the
development of tourism in its surroundings. Their involvement in tourism
development is more focused on ceremonial activities such as can be seen at
the Lake Sentani Festival which is organized every year by the government.
Besides this, after coming into contact with modern life the traditional
communities of Lake Sentani rarely perform their daily activities based on
local wisdom aimed at natural conservation of the lake. The development of
urban areas in the surroundings also influences changes in land use in the
Lake Sentani region which then causes among others erosion, sedimentation,
and pollution of the lake water. Socio-economic and cultural changes in the
traditional communities of Sentani and the growth of development also
contribute towards ecological change in the area of Lake Sentani, the place
they live in.

Keywords: ecotourism, traditional communities, cultural change

Introduction still many indigenous people can be found

Background
Lake Sentani is one of the tourist
destinations in Jayapura Regency, Papua that
has natural (landscape) attraction, and where
1
The article had been presented in The International
Tourism Conference “Promoting Cultural & Heritage
Tourism” at Udayana University, 1-3 September 2016.
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
living. The life of the indigenous inhabitants
of Papua consisting of about 250 ethnicities
still depends on nature (forest, rivers, sea,
etc.). With the enactment of special autonomy
in Papua, traditional villages where indigenous
communities of Papua live, are given greater
authority to regulate their own government
according to their customs, this includes the
villages in the Sentani Lake region. However,
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tourism management is still largely regulated Development of ecotourism in

and managed by local governments and the Indonesia involves many parties, namely: the
private sector, especially in constructing government in a role as regulator and planner;
physical facilities to support tourism, which the private sector as developer; NGOs in a role
usually requires substantial funding. of among others as donor and by providing
expertise; and local communities that gain
One type of tourism program that is work opportunities and a better life.
more easily adopted by traditional Community-based ecotourism involves the
communities is ecotourism. Local residents are development of local communities‟ social,
encouraged to use their culture in the natural environmental and economic needs through
conservation of their surroundings, which at providing tourism services and products. In
the same time forms an attraction for tourists. fact, the element of community involvement is
The uniqueness of each regional culture is already stressed in the concept of developing
expected to attract tourists from outside the ecotourism and this is further emphasized in
region. There are 12 elements of culture that community-based ecotourism.
attract tourists‟ attention namely: the tradition
of community life that is still close to nature; Table 1. Criteria for Ecotourism Region
crafts; food and eating habits; music and art;
history of a place; work methods and Main Criteria Additional Criteria
technology; religion expressed in stories or
which can be observed; the dressing habits; - Wonders and beauty - Not too far from
educational system; and leisure time activities of nature the airport or
(Simatupang, 2015). But how long can a (topography)* seaport
tourism region with ecotourism based on - Diversity of flora* - Acceptable
empowerment of traditional communities - Diversity of fauna* duration and
survive? Can the culture of traditional - Ease to observe comfort of travel
communities survive or will it experience a wildlife * - Availability of
change in meanings and values resulting from - Availability of other natural
outside influences? accurate information attractions in the
about vegetation ecotourism region
Research Objective - Availability of - Heritage sites or
unspoiled historical remnants
Research was designed to examine ecosystems - Local culture
challenges in Developing Ecotourism in - Opportunities to - Availability or
The Region of Lake Sentani Papua swim (waterfalls, possibility to
lakes, beaches) develop
Literature review - Uniqueness of the accommodation
object that meets hygienic
Community-Based Ecotourism - Opportunities for standards
cross-country - Availability of
Ecotourism is tourism based on nature (trekking, rafting, practical and
while incorporating aspects of education and snorkeling, etc.) hygienic food
interpretation of the natural environment and - Megalithic objects - Assurance of safety
local culture with ecological conservation - Comfortable for tourists
(Tuwo, 2011, p.28). Development of tourism temperature and - Availability of
regions of this type does not need a large humidity medical assistance
budget because nature is the tourist attraction - Average rainfall and care
which is already available by itself. These
tourism activities aim at enjoying the beauty of
nature, serving as a means of education, Note: * Absolute criteria
understanding and supporting conservation as Source: Steck, et.al.1999, in Damanik &
well as increasing the income of local Weber, 2006.
communities. The following table shows the
criteria that an ecotourism region needs to
possess.
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 E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1. (2017): 28-38
The fact that local communities not
only play a role as an object but also as a
subject or actors of development is a
development concept that is based on
empowerment of communities in ecotourism
programs. This concept is more appropriate
when applied to developing small-scale
ecotourism in rural areas, run by local
communities using traditional technology and
equipped with basic amenities. Meanwhile, at
a larger scale, it is more fitting to be run by the
private sector using more advanced
techniques, of course while still doing social
and environmental preservation (Nirwandar,
2016).
This development concept is
considered appropriate when applied to
traditional communities in Papua who live in
areas with natural beauty that can be used as a
tourism destination. Since the enactment of
special autonomy and the start of regulations
on villages, traditional villages in Papua are
given the authority to regulate the government
in their villages according to provisions of the
customs they hold. The difference in culture
between traditional communities and modern
societies does not hamper the implementation
of these development concepts in traditional
villages because the communities‟ local
wisdom is needed to preserve the natural
environment and to become an attraction for
tourists due to their unique characteristics.
While still practicing their culture, traditional
communities are involved in managing natural
resources or in development activities in the
village. However, communities like this
cannot be separated from the influence of
modern societies, especially since the era of
globalization, which makes it impossible to
avoid changes in their indigenous culture. The
construction of services and physical
infrastructure to support modern life are some
of the things that influence changes in the
lifestyle of traditional communities.
The development of tourism, in
general, is directed at fulfilling the modern
needs of the majority of tourists, even in
ecotourism regions. This is because basic
needs such as the provision of road
infrastructure are an absolute necessity for a
region with tourism objects regardless the type
of tourism. Sociologically speaking, tourists
can be categorized based on specific
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
phenomena, motivation and the way they
travel and therefore can be divided into two
major groups: package tourists and
independent tourists. Package tourist is related
to the modern needs so that direction of
development follows the pattern found in
developed countries, while independent tourist
is directed more towards the local
environment. So far only a very small group of
independent tourists visits Indonesia (Tuwo,
2011, p.34-35). Ecosystem destruction is not
uncommon in tourism areas in order to meet
these modern needs. Clearing forests or
changing land use is done to fulfill the need
for space to build these modern facilities.
Managers of tourism, be it elements of
business, government or even traditional
communities, in the end, cannot avoid this
from happening for the sake of supporting the
progress of tourism in the region. However
what needs to be considered in developing
ecotourism regions is that all efforts of
development, including the construction of
facilities and utilities, still have to be in
harmony with nature because disharmony with
nature can destroy the product of ecotourism
itself. Additionally, restrictions on demand are
also necessary because generally the carrying
capacity of natural ecosystems is lower than
that of manmade ecosystems (Tuwo, 2011, p.
32). In addition to ecological carrying
capacity, it is also necessary to consider the
social, cultural and economic carrying
capacity. An ecotourism project can be
considered harmonious with social, cultural,
economical and ecological carrying capacity if
the project does not have the potential to cause
degradation to the quality of life of the
surrounding community, both in the long-term
as well as short-term (Damanik & Weber,
2006, p.55).
Traditional Communities
Based on their characteristics,
traditional communities can be divided into
four groups, namely (AMAN, in Ministry of
National Development Planning /
BAPPENAS, 2013, p. 8-9):
1. „Kanekes‟ traditional community type in
Banten and „Kajang‟ or „To Kajang‟
(Kajang Dalam) in the regency of
Bulukumba South Sulawesi, who place
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 E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1. (2017): 28-38
themselves as „Pertapa Bumi‟ (Earth
Ascetic). They believe that they are a
„chosen‟ community that was given the
task to preserve the conservation of the
earth by prayer and an ascetic lifestyle.
2. „Kasepuhan Banten Kidul‟ and „Suku
Naga‟ traditional community types that can
be found in West Java. These communities
are fundamentally quite strict in
maintaining and applying their traditions
and customs but are still open to having
commercial relations with the outside
world.
3. Traditional community types whose lives
are reliant on nature (forests, rivers, sea,
etc.). They developed a unique system of
natural resource management but did not
develop strict traditions for housing or
choice of crops compared to the traditional
communities of Kanekes, To Kajang, or
Kasepuhan. Examples of these
communities are the traditional
communities of Dayak and Penan in
Kalimantan, Pakava and Lindu in Central
Sulawesi, and Dani and Dafonsoro in
Papua.
4. Traditional community types that have
already been „uprooted‟ from their
„indigenous‟ system of natural resource
management as a result of colonization that
evolved over hundreds of years. This
category includes the traditional
communities of Melayu Deli that live in the
area of tobacco plantations in North
Sumatra and Betawi in Jabodetabek.
The first three types of communities
form are called ‘masyarakat hukum adat’
(customary law community) according to the
Law Number 41 Year 1999 about Forestry
because they meet the following elements: (a)
the community still lives in the form of
societal group (rechts-gemeenschap); (b) there
are institutions in the form of customary
authorities; (c) there is a clear area of
traditional law; (d) there are institutions and a
legal apparatus, particularly in traditional
justice, which is still adhered to; (e) they still
harvest forest products in the surrounding
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
forest area to meet the needs of daily life
(Ministry of National Development Planning /
BAPPENAS, 2013, p.9).
Large cultural change in the fourth
group of communities causes a loss of strong
social-cultural ties within the community and
no demands are made anymore to undertake
traditional rituals. This has changed the natural
environment where the communities lived into
a manmade environment and from an
economical perspective has changed the
pattern of community subsistence lifestyle to
become one of capitalistic individuals. There
has been a shift from biocentrism towards
anthropocentrism in traditional communities in
an effort to use natural resources and this
keeps shifting further in the fourth group of
communities mentioned above.
Anthropocentrism considers humans and their
interests to be most decisive in structuring
ecosystems and nature as a tool for human
interests. Meanwhile, biocentrism considers
that nature has intrinsic value which is apart
from human interest and that life in the
universe has to be respected like humans
respect the social system in their life (Susilo,
2012). In today‟s terms, people who embrace
biocentrism can also be referred to as ecology-
minded communities.
Cultural lag theory states that the most
apparent cultural lag in human‟s life is a lag in
thought with very rapid technological
development, which generally occurs in
traditional communities that are developing
(Ogburn, in Lauer, 2003). Some experts claim
that there are differences in characteristics
between traditional and modern communities
and that there are phases of change of
economic structure that traditional
communities have to go through to become
modern communities (Parson, 1951, Rostow,
1960, in Amien, 2005). Meanwhile, other
experts claim that characteristics of traditional
communities can also be found in modern
communities in various advanced countries
and that to become a modern society they do
not always need to go through all phases of
economic structural change (Frank, 1969,
Gerschenkron, 1962, in Amien, 2005). Based
on the development, other experts claim that
modernization is the rationalization of social
behaviors and social organization.
Modernization is the development of the
ability to apply knowledge that has been tested
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 E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1. (2017): 28-38
in all branches of production and they interpret
modernity as a socio-cultural and
psychological framework and that supports the
application of science in the production
process (Moore, 1977, Hettne, 1990, in
Amien, 2005). Thus a community that carries
out traditional rituals in their daily life can be
categorized as a modern society as long as
there are scientific explanations for any such
action (rationalization).
The concept of ethnodevelopment
involves making indigenous people become
more resilient towards communities in their
surroundings that are more dominant through
programs that pay attention to their culture and
that produce a level of economic, social and
political autonomy, making the community
able to work based on their own levels of
adaptation, forming their own social, cultural
and economic synthesis (Talalla, 1984, in
Amien, 2005) since basically traditional
communities in many countries have been
living in harmony with the natural
surroundings and have ecological values and
the ability to meet basic human needs through
social, economic and political structures that
are essentially community-based (Ife and
Tesoriero, 2008). The concept of traditional
community-based ecotourism can be
categorized into the above-mentioned concept.
Results and Discussion
Traditional Papuan Communities
Unlike other regions in Indonesia,
Papua did not experience long-term
colonization by the Dutch and has not yet
experienced much social and cultural change.
Papua formally became part of the Unitary
State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI)
after the PEPERA referendum in Papua in
1969, which stated that Papua will follow
NKRI. The central government then
implemented various development programs
in Papua. After the enactment of special
autonomy in the province of Papua in 2001
traditional communities have greater authority
in developing their villages. Full
decentralization as received by the Papua
government created traditional community
democracy through the establishment of the
Papua People‟s Assembly. Further, the
recognition of customary law in Papua
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
supports the implementation of development
based on empowerment of traditional
communities (ethnodevelopment).
Several cultural aspects of traditional
communities in Papua have survived while
other cultural aspects have changed as an
unavoidable result of development. An
example of a cultural aspect that has survived
is Sasi. This is a ritual of indigenous
communities living in the coastal areas of
Papua, which involves regulations that
prohibit taking high-value marine products
such as mussels, snails, sea cucumbers,
lobster, certain fish species and other marine
products for an agreed period. After a certain
time period, deliberations will decide if these
marine products can be caught again and
whether or not the sea life that will be caught
is of a certain size (large enough). If this
custom is violated the perpetrator will be
subjected to customary sanctions, will be
banished and it is believed he will be judged
by nature. While it is possible that traditional
communities undertake these rituals to ensure
their own food supply of marine products and
do not understand that this is marine science,
they actually embrace a biocentrism
understanding of awareness that their lives
depend on marine products. What these
traditional communities do can be explained
scientifically as efforts to safeguard the energy
metabolism in nature and maintain the food
chain cycle within an ecosystem that humans
are part of. If this ritual is carried out
continuously without outside interference they
will continue to catch enough for the season
because the marine resources will be
maintained. By doing this the members of the
traditional communities have economic
sufficiency. Indirectly they are aware that they
are part of a system of life of which its
sustainability will depend on the interaction
between agents or any member within the
system.
However, other cultural aspects
change due to outside influences. Changing
cultural aspects in traditional communities in
Papua can be seen from lifestyle changes of
villages in the interior of Papua of which the
majority are traditional communities. The
results of a study by NGOs sponsored by the
UNDP in 2005 showed that residents from
villages far from service centers (urban areas)
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 E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1. (2017): 28-38
in general earn their livelihood by farming,
hunting or by gathering forest products. They
have a subsistence lifestyle and are still
heavily dependent on natural resources while
residents of villages close to urban areas are
less dependent on nature as a result from
resources becoming scarcely available. They
have more varied livelihoods, for example
working as a retailer, civil servant, or
employee at a company, leaving behind their
tradition. Often conflicts that occur over
indigenous land are also a result of increasing
scarcity of resources as a result of nearby
urban development.
Although traditional communities
control all natural resources in their traditional
region, particularly in villages far from urban
areas, their position in economic activities
tends to be weak as a result of them not
knowing the market price of the natural
commodities they take from the forest and due
to the low accessibility between villages and
towns which is used by traders to keep the
selling price of their commodities low. In
addition to this, traditional communities tend
to spend all of their income from the sale of
their natural resources without saving. This
leads to them increasingly exploiting their
natural resources when they need money.
A subsistence lifestyle of traditional
communities who use natural products to
fulfill their basic needs is, in fact, a form of
local wisdom that preserves their natural
environment. However, outside influences
then make them change their patterns of using
natural resources to fulfill not only their basic
needs but also other needs. Exploitation of
nature increases as a result of maintaining a
subsistence lifestyle attitude towards money
(finishing it in a flash without saving) which is
considered as a natural resource (that needs to
be used so it will not spoil).
Lake Sentani region
The Lake Sentani region is located
between Jayapura City, the capital of Papua
Province and Sentani City, the capital of
Jayapura Regency and is found on the main
road that connects the provincial capital with
the main airport of Papua, Sentani Airport.
The lake is located at the bottom of the slope
of the Cyclops Mountain Strict Nature
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
Reserve. It contains about 14 rivers and has an
area of approximately 9.360 hectares and an
altitude of 75 meters above sea level and there
are 21 small islands in the middle of the lake.
Lake Sentani is the largest lake in Papua that
has natural beauty. The lake also has a
diversity of flora and fauna with several
animal species endemic to Lake Sentani
namely the Sentani gudgeon (Oxyeleotris
heterodon), Sentani rainbowfish (Chilatherina
sentaniensis), red rainbowfish (Glossolepis
incisus), and largetooth sawfish (Pristis
microdon). The largetooth sawfish is a unique
species because it is a type of fresh water
shark (LIPI, n.d.).
Lake Sentani was introduced as a
tourist destination by the Papua government
since 2007 when the Lake Sentani Festival
was first organized. This festival is usually
held in June and lasting a few days, traditional
communities demonstrate different types of
dances on top of boats sailing on Lake Sentani.
The show is centered at the Kalkhote Pier. In
addition to dances on the water, handicrafts of
traditional communities are exhibited on the
pier, among others clay pottery which is
handicraft from the people of Kampung Abar
and paintings with traditional motifs on white
wood from Kampung Asei. The type of
tourism promoted is Lake Sentani nature
tourism and Sentani traditional community
culture tourism. Several criteria for
determining an ecotourism region can be
found in the Lake Sentani region so it would
be appropriate to develop the area into an
ecotourism region, in order to achieve
sustainable development which of course will
be based on empowerment of local
communities. The Lake Sentani area
accommodates elements of natural beauty
(examples are the characteristic Ultra Basik
forest and the area of Sereh waterfall in the
Cyclops Mountain Strict Nature Reserve);
diversity of flora and fauna; opportunities for
swimming and cross country; comfortable
temperature and humidity for a tropical region;
average rainfall; not too far from the Sentani
airport; acceptable duration and comfort of
travel with the availability of roads and
transportation facilities; local culture;
cultural/historical heritage sites (the old church
from 1950 in Kampung Ifar Gunung, the
megalithic Tatuari site in Doyo Baru, and the
Mac Arthur Monument in the Ifar Gunung
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area); and availability of medical
accommodation and care in the nearby urban
area (Sentani City and Jayapura City).
Kota
Senta
Bandara
Sentani
Kota
Danau
Jayap
Senta
Source: Google Maps (2016)
Figure 1. Location Map of Lake Sentani
Source: Tourism Office Jayapura Regency
(2014)
Figure 2. The view of Lake Sentani
Traditional Communities of Lake Sentani
There are about 27 villages in the
Lake Sentani region. The indigenous
communities of Lake Sentani have specific
customs for natural preservation. The highest
position in their customary government is held
by the ondofolo (big chief) who has the
function of providing service and protection
for his citizens. Broadly speaking some
literature mention that there are certain
customary rules that the traditional
communities have to carry out when planning
to go hunting on land (catching wild boar,
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
moles, lizards, and other forest animals),
hunting in the water (fishing) and when taking
wood to build houses (Yeny and Alhamid,
2005; Yektiningtyas-Modouw, 2010).
In general, the livelihood of
indigenous communities of Sentani consists of
processing sago (Metroxylon sp), farming,
fishing, and hunting. Sago is a food source for
the indigenous communities of Papua living in
the coastal areas. According to customary
tradition, there are clans who are in charge of
taking care of sago, which is referred to as
eiyoayo by the communities. Their task is to
regulate the use of sago forests by the
communities, give sanctions to the public
when they intentionally or unintentionally take
sago from another village, carry out sago
replanting efforts. Each family can only take
sago from specific locations belonging to their
clan. Utilization of other areas must be
authorized by the ondofolo or chief of the tribe
(Yektiningtyas-Modouw, 2010, p.47). Sago
farmers need approximately two weeks to
process one tree trunk of sago the in the
traditional way. Sago is then cooked into
papeda (porridge from sago flour), the primary
food source of carbohydrate. In farming the
Sentani communities recognize the existence
of customary farmland owned by an alliance
or keret which is managed together. Men play
a role in land clearing for farming while
women have the task of planting, cultivating
and harvesting the yield as well as processing
it for family meals. The produce of the first
and best harvest they usually present to the
ondofolo, before then consuming it
themselves, and if there is excess produce it
will be sold at the market (Yektiningtyas-
Modouw, 2010). Catching fish is usually the
task of women. In customary tradition, there
are certain locations where fish is only used
for traditional ceremonies. In the tradition,
there is also recognition of a customary
caretaker who manages the water and fish,
burefi-karefi, who has the task of overseeing
any fishing activity and has the authority to
impose sanctions for fishing activities
contaminating the lake and for fishing in
improper ways. Just as with farming produce
the best catches will be given to the ondofolo
for the interest of the villagers, particularly the
big black catfish (Yektiningtyas- Modouw,
2010).
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Hunting is a men‟s duty. There are
certain rituals that have to be performed before
hunting starts, such as abstinence from sexual
intercourse with their partner for men that will
go hunting; no talking to women; not exposed
to children‟s urine; hunting tools cannot be
touched by women; and the hunters have to
leave early in the morning before everyone
else is awake. There are two types of hunting,
namely hunting to provide food for the family
and hunting for customary purposes
(Yektiningtyas-Modouw, 2010).
Local residential settlements in the
Lake Sentani region generally consist of stilt
houses that stand above the water. Sentani
traditional community houses are known by
the term gaba-gaba houses. The frame of these
houses is made out of wood from the
Xanthostemon sp. tree and is covered with
sago palm leaves for the walls and roof. This
wood may only be taken from particular areas
of the mountains near the lake or from a
certain radius from the top of the mountain.
There are specific rituals before using this type
of wood as a frame for houses because the
wood is considered to contain a spirit (Yeny
and Alhamid, 2005).
These customary rituals are actually
meant to regulate or restrict human activities
in taking resources provided by nature. When
all these restrictions are carried out, nature is
given the chance to restore itself.
Social, Cultural, Economical and Ecological
Change in the Lake Sentani region
The following are some examples of
changes happening in the Lake Sentani region
according to literature. Although this overview
may not be complete, at least some of the
following examples can shed light on the
influence of modern life for the society of the
Sentani traditional communities and the
ecological conditions of the Lake Sentani
region.
As with other lakes, Lake Sentani has
two main functions, namely: ecological
(regulator of water management, flood control,
wildlife habitat and reservoir for sediments,
nutrients, and contaminants) and social,
cultural and economical for the Sentani
traditional communities (providing necessities
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
for life for humans). With the progress of
developments and impacts from the growth of
cities in the surrounding areas, Sentani
traditional communities begin to experience
social, cultural and economical changes,
among others in the types of livelihood, diet,
and types of houses inhabited. The previous
means of living which consists of
appropriating natural produce and is subsistent
in nature is beginning to be left behind.
Although some work as civil servants, teachers
or in other service professions, the majority of
the community still earns their livelihood as
fishermen, however with more advanced
systems and technology, especially in the case
of fish farming. One of the advancements in
fish farming is the cultivation of several new
freshwater fish species such as tilapia, Nile
tilapia, common carp and gourami in floating
cages. The development of cages is followed
by the growth of settlements at the edge of the
lake. These activities are performed by
indigenous inhabitants as well as migrant
groups, causing an increase in pollution,
among others in water turbidity and stench
(Simbiak, 2005).
Lake Sentani experiences not only an
addition of new aquatic animal species but
also a decline in the number of aquatic animal
species endemic to the lake, with the
extinction of the largetooth sawfish. The use
of modern fishing equipment is thought to
have contributed to its extinction, since the
introduction of monofilament gill nets in 1969.
The local population does not eat the
largetooth sawfish but many were caught in
nets and died. The last largetooth sawfish was
caught in 1974 and after that, there has been
not been any more news about one being
caught in Lake Sentani (LIPI, n.d.).
Other changes that are happening
relate to local diet. The results of a research by
Alhamid in 1994 show that after its
introduction to the Sentani communities, rice
started to replace the function of sago as a
source of the daily food staple. Sago was even
harvested and sold at the market so the Sentani
communities could buy rice (Yeny &
Alhamid, 2005). In his article Arif (2016)
states that the change in diet of the Mentawai
community, who originally consumed sago
and taro and then changed to rice, started to
impact badly on the health of the local
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 E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1. (2017): 28-38

community, caused ecological damage and Besides the extinction of the

also threatened food security. It is not largetooth sawfish, other ecological changes
impossible that this will also happen in the can also be seen in the major land use changes
Sentani community. in the Lake Sentani region based on land use
in the Sentani watershed in 2007, 2001, 2010
In Indonesia, Papua is known to have and 2012. Forest and swamp area continues to
great sago potential and the Sentani region is decrease and is replaced with build up land,
one of the sago producing regions in Papua. savanna bush and vacant land (Fauzi,
Keeping this in mind and to in an attempt Rispiningtati, & Hendrawan, 2014, p. 47).
protect the sago forests, Jayapura Regency
local government has issued Local
Table 2. Land Area of Sentani Watershed
Government Regulation Number 3 Year 2000 According to its Function
about Conservation of Sago Forest Areas.
Sago from Papua has a higher quality than Land Land Area (Ha) Explan
sago from Malaysia, a country that started Use 2007 2010 2012 ation
cultivating sago earlier. Papuan sago trees can Forest 35.587 33.895 32.209 Decrea
reach 12 meters while sago trees in Malaysia ,070 ,525 ,980 se
are relatively short. Moreover, one sago tree Building 1.755, 1.849, 1.943, Increas
trunk from Papua can produce 900 kg while s 480 435 390 e
one Malaysian sago tree trunk produces 250 Savanna 14.469 16.163 17.858 Increas
kg on average (Omona, 2014; Sutianto, 2014). bush ,280 ,850 ,420 e
In addition to a lack of resoluteness of the Vacant 5.187, 5.315, 5.442, Increas
government in surveillance of sago forests, the land 470 231 992 e
event of logging and burning of sago trees in Swamp/ 1.224, 999,85 775,11 Decrea
Kampung Asei and Kampung Harapan, ponds 592 1 0 se
Sentani, for the sake of the broadening of the
main road in 2012, also did not lead to any Source: Fauzi, et al, 2014
significant opposition from local communities,
who should feel threatened because the forest These changes in land use generally
used as their local food source was destroyed. are meant to accommodate human activities
This is caused by the change in diet in the which increases a lot in the area, in the form of
Sentani traditional communities mentioned agricultural activities, mining, building of
before. Their source of carbohydrates which settlements (among others to meet the housing
has been changed with rice can disturb food needs of residents of Jayapura City), as well as
security, especially if this destruction of sago trading and service activities such as: stores,
forest continues because geographically the hotels, and restaurants, which eventually gives
land in Sentani is less suitable to grow rice so impacts in among others: erosion, landslides,
the Sentani communities will be dependent on and water pollution in the lake. Analysis of
other rice producing areas to obtain their food water quality in several sampling locations
staple. shows that Lake Sentani is mildly, moderately
and severely polluted (LIPI, n.d.).
The type of houses inhabited by the
local population is also changing. Research by One of the human activities that
Alhamid in 2001 shows that sago palm leaves damages forests and causes landslides and
houses are being replaced with plank houses. erosion is the clearing of farmland in the
These are more expensive because they are mountainous areas around the lake which is
made of a material that needs to be purchased. generally done by the Papua population from
As a result, each newly formed family cannot Dani ethnicity (originating from outside
immediately build their own house and is Jayapura Regency). The indigenous Sentani
forced to still stay with their parents. The population already does not rely on farming as
density of homes increases because one house a livelihood and they themselves do not enter
can be occupied by more than one family the mountain areas at a certain radius from the
which is expected to influence the quality of top of the mountain because in their belief that
social life (Yeny and Alhamid, 2005). is their sacred ancestors‟ residence (Yeny and
Alhamid, 2005).

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 E-Journal of Tourism Vol.4. No.1. (2017): 28-38
In addition to migrants, the Sentani
traditional community also contributes in
changes to land use in the area. Mining efforts
to meet the needs for raw construction
materials in developments which are done by
locals also influences the morphology of the
area (the bottom of the slopes of the
mountain), causing erosion on the slopes and
ultimately increasing sedimentation in Lake
Sentani. Other activities include the making of
traditional paintings on bark. The production
of these bark paintings increased after the
Lake Sentani Festival was organized and is
expected to cause damage to trees because
their bark is taken. When this is done
continuously without paying attention to the
ability of the forest to restore itself this will
cause damage to the forest (Yeny and
Alhamid, 2005).
Conclusion
External influences are clearly evident
in social, cultural and economic changes in
traditional communities and in ecological
changes in the region of Lake Sentani. The use
of more modern fishing gear led to the
extinction of the largetooth sawfish, and the
increased sedimentation and water pollution
due to human activity can disrupt the function
of the lake among others as wildlife habitat,
water resource and in flood control. This it is a
challenge for the development of traditional
community-based ecotourism in Lake Sentani.
Traditional communities need to learn
to understand the scientific reasons behind all
their culture or traditional rituals that they
have carried out. In this way, they can reject
any outside influences that will negatively
impact on their lives later on. In addition to
building a critical awareness of traditional
communities, another thing that needs to be
taken into consideration is to build a
biocentrism understanding in communities
outside of them, be it migrant groups, elements
of government, or the private sector. Social,
cultural and economic changes in traditional
communities of Sentani due to developments
are estimated to have taken place for 47 years
(starting from 1969 when Papua officially
became part of the Unitary State of the
Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) after the
PEPERA referendum). However, changes in
the physical function of the lake region are
http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eot
clearly evident in a fairly short period of time
(since 2007 when the Lake Sentani Festival
was proclaimed by the government). Other
parties outside the traditional communities of
Sentani play a substantial role in these
changes. In the attempt to carry out customs to
maintain the sustainability of natural
resources, traditional communities cannot be
separated from outside influences. Therefore,
this means that a lack of agreement regarding
nature management could give way to outside
cultural influences which in general are more
excessive in exploiting nature as a result of a
capitalist way of thinking, substituting
traditional communities‟ local wisdom which
has always been good.
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